


Countdowns To Miracles

by NOIRequin



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Knows, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Advent Calendar, Aged-Up Character(s), Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Identity Reveal, Kwami Shenanigans, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Memory Loss, Memory Magic, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Protective Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Supportive Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Supportive Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:27:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27818983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NOIRequin/pseuds/NOIRequin
Summary: Love is patient, and patience will be rewarded someday. Adrien and Marinette learn that in practice, getting to happiness by small steps on the road, mapped by custom advent calendars.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Tikki, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 21
Kudos: 101
Collections: December 2020 - Advent Calendar





	Countdowns To Miracles

**Author's Note:**

> Miraculous Fanworks Discord Server made their own Advent calendar where each day will give readers a new fic from a new author. I'm the one who starts it, so my prompt is "Advent Calendar". It isn't so typical for my branch of Christianity but there are a lot of them in supermarkets as another marketing thing for children to beg for.   
> I loved the initial concept of patient preparation to the miracle and decided to adjust it to the lovesquare relationship. Those kids deserve their miracles for sure 🥰  
> I didn't specify their age but probably they are old enough to rush into the marriage without overthinking 😂  
> Thanks Thanks to [Khanofallorcs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khanofallorcs/pseuds/Khanofallorcs), [writersmuse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/writersmuse), and [Labyrinthofchaos ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Labyrinthofchaos) for beta-reading!  
> Enjoy! 🎄🎁⛄

Adrien was staring at the pink rose petal that he had just fished out from the 23rd small section of his advent calendar. He put it carefully next to a needle with a thread, a piece of cloth, a small, silly drawing of a girl with pigtails and a shy smile, and other items that had been discovered previously. 

The pink petal erased the last shadow of doubt from Adrien’s mind. The smile slowly spread across his face. He couldn’t believe that, despite wielding the Miraculous of Destruction, he was lucky enough to get the best gift for an upcoming Christmas - the identity of his Lady.

***** about a month ago*****

On one of the last days of November, Chat Noir was standing on the roof, observing the Eiffel Tower and adjacent streets. He heard a distinctive thump behind him and turned around to greet his partner. Ladybug was smiling shyly, holding two boxes wrapped in gift paper. 

“Wait, M’Lady, did I forget about an important day?” Chat frowned in confusion. “We celebrated our belated birthdays several months ago, as well as the anniversary of our first meeting. Christmas is due in a month…”

“Relax, Kitty,” Ladybug interrupted, setting boxes on the rooftop between them. “It’s supposed to be a journey to Christmas. This one,” she pointed at the black box with vibrant green stars scattered across it, “is meant for you to open now.”

He slightly hesitated, still a little confused.

“Go ahead” she smiled reassuringly.

Chat sliced the paper with his claws, mindful of his force, and pulled out to open another box, a red wooden one with multiple slots. “Is this another of your complex Lucky Charms?” he tried to joke to hide a sudden wave of anxiety.

Ladybug gaped at him. “Have you actually seen an advent calendar?”

Chat thought for a minute. “Only heard of it in passing. Would you be so kind to explain it to the poor sheltered child?” He leaned into her space, wiggling his eyebrows. To his surprise, she didn’t push him back, blushing and averting her gaze instead. 

“W-well, I-I thought that…” she stammered, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I thought that it’s time to reveal our identities. Not right away, though, but with little preparation. These are reusable advent calendars. I thought that we c-could use them to get ready for the reveal. You know, remind each other of the most important moments that we had together, share some personal details, and put our name in the last window to open it together on Christmas Eve.”

Chat blinked, stunned. “Wow. Honestly, I didn't expect that.” He glanced at the box, then at the girl’s masked face, searching for signs of a cruel prank. Finding none, he started inspecting the item closer.

“So, I’m supposed to fill it with my stuff for you to open each drawer starting from December 1st, right?” 

“Precisely. And I’ll make one for you.”

Chat paused and narrowed his eyes. “Wait. Did you visit the Village de Noël at La Défense without me?” He put the calendar down and crossed his arms, pouting at her. “You promised to take me there and have fun, eating all the yummy treats and maybe buying some lovely things.”

Ladybug’s startled expression softened. “Silly Kitty,” she smiled at him, patting his shoulder. “They’ve only opened a couple of days ago. We have plenty of time until Christmas to go there and have fun.” She bopped him on the nose playfully. “For now, let’s go home and start filling out our boxes.”

*****present*****

Chat arrived on the same rooftop where this story had begun, carrying the wooden box with small treasures. Ladybug was already there, sitting on the chimney, her fingers bouncing on her knee.

“Good evening, My Lady,” Chat greeted her cautiously. She lifted her head and looked at him, and he was instantly speechless and lost in her eyes. Ladybug scrutinized his face, hair, and posture, as if searching for missing clues. 

“You do realize that your last clue was so direct that it spoilered all the surprise?” she finally spoke. “A sample of  _ Adrien The Fragrance _ , no less.”

Chat laughed nervously. “Wasn’t it the point to be led to the identity reveal, to not let it spring on you unexpectedly. Besides, My Lady,” he came closer, putting his calendar next to hers to lean on the chimney, “you weren’t very subtle either.”

She chuckled lightly. “You’re right. So, let’s open the last slots and finally get all the secrets over with?” 

On the count of three, they took out the name cards and read them. “Yes!” they shouted in unison and threw themselves into each other's arms. 

“I’ve been in love with you for ages, Adrien,” Ladybug mumbled, burying her face into his chest. “How could I not notice?”

“It doesn’t matter, Marinette,” Chat replied. “You just gave me the best Christmas gift ever. We’ll catch up with everything in the future.” He pulled back, maintaining some distance to reach into his pocket. “Speaking of the future, I have one more box for you to open tonight.” He dropped on one knee and handed her an open box with an engagement ring.

“It was always you and me against the world, Marinette Ladybug Dupain-Cheng, and now we’ve got a chance to transfer it into our civilian lives. Will you be my wife?”

She squealed loudly and fell on her knees to pull him in a kiss. “Yes, yes, yes. A thousand times yes!” she said breathlessly between their kiss and the many, many others.

The future seemed bright and promising, even with more supervillains, mentioned by Bunnyx sometime ago, nothing could ruin his happiness as long as Marinette was by his side.

*****10 years later, the end of November*****

Devastated, Adrien sat on the bed in his and Marinette’s bedroom. The room was dark, only a small circle around the nightstand was lit by the small lamp. The Miracle Box, now squared and black with green accents, was lying on his lap. Tikki was sitting on it, her eyes down, antennae hanging low. 

Adrien broke the silence. “The doctors in the hospital said that there’s a high chance her memories won’t be restored, though they’ll discharge her as soon as she’s gotten better physically.” He took Tikki in his palms, bringing her closer to his face. “... is there any way to get her memories back?”

“I can’t tell you for sure,” the kwami chirped. “You know that we kwamis are not allowed to know more from the grimoire aside from basic things such as the commands for transformations. Besides, your case is very unusual. First of all, no one has ever combined the wielding of the most powerful Miraculous and the Guardianship. Second, no one recruited co-Guardians, only trainees to pass on their knowledge and title. Third, the next Guardian and the Miracle Box were never that close to the former Guardian, living with them.”

“Tikki,” Adrien sighed. “The Box and the jewellery in it has the word “Miracle” in the title. Can’t we get that miracle as a Christmas gift? I couldn’t bear to fight alone or with someone else as Ladybug. And she wouldn’t have done that to me if she had had another option during that battle.” A single tear ran down his cheek. The man took a deep breath and asked pleadingly, “Couldn’t we get her memories back as a Christmas gift?” 

Tikki stared at him intently with a calculating look then flew up to the shelves and landed between the red and black wooden boxes. “I might have an idea.”

*****December*****

On the first day of winter, Marinette returned to their apartment. Well, that was what the man that had called himself her husband said. She trusted him, albeit didn’t know why; she remembered nothing about their so-called relationship. 

Adrien helped her take off her coat and boots, since she was still recovering after some serious injuries. Marinette let him lead her to the living room and sat down in the armchair as she looked around the unfamiliar setting. She felt dizzy and on the verge of crying. Luckily, Adrien returned with a glass of water and the red wooden box that spiked a feeling of familiarity in her chest. He placed it on her lap and sat on the floor in front of her.

“Marinette,” Adrien started, his voice trembling. “The doctors told me not to overwhelm you with stories about the past and present. But I want you to know that we used to be practically inseparable and share everything for many years.” He took her hand in his, squeezing it gently. “I’ll always be here when you need me, even if I need to maintain the distance until your memories come back. Don’t hesitate to ask for any help, alright?”

Marinette stared at him with wide eyes and slightly open mouth. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest.  _ ‘No wonder I fell in love with this man,’  _ the thought echoed in her head.  _ ‘He’s so kind and handsome-’ _

“Marinette? Are you okay?” his concerned voice brought her out of her daze. “Y-yeah, I’m fine.” she nodded and smiled “What is this?” She patted the box on her lap, emphasizing the question.

“Oh, that,” a light blush dusted Adrien’s cheeks. “I made it to help you regain some memories. Do you remember what an advent calendar is?”

“Oh! Christmas is coming!” Marinette gasped. “But what’s so special about this advent calendar that might help me gain back my memories?”

“It was one of the turning points in our relationship. You once told me that you need to approach big changes with small steps . So we will try to regain at least some of your memories, rediscovering them one by one.” He pointed at the first slot. “You can open this one now.”

Marinette opened the small door carefully and got the doll-size black umbrella. She opened it, but it snapped shut around her fingers in a second. 

“What does it mean?” she looked at her husband, confused.

“It is a symbol of the umbrella that I gave you shortly after we met. I was trying to apologize to you for an unfortunate accident that had happened earlier and make it up to you somehow. You’re one of the first friends that I’ve made on my own.” Adrien explained, looking in her eyes. “And you later told me that you fell in love with me at that exact moment.”

“I can believe it,” Marinette admitted, smiling shyly.

* * *

The couple was starting each December morning by opening another slot. The first several were solely about Adrien and Marinette: them slow dancing at Chloé's party and in the New York sky; them running from paparazzi on the day of the Gorizilla attack; then some selfies and small memorabilia from their first dates, engagement party, and wedding. 

The strongest reaction was caused by the matching lucky charm bracelets. Marinette felt a jolt of electricity running through her fingers and squeezed her eyes shut. Images of colorful beads and cords flickered in her mind; then she remembered the golden haired boy sitting in her room, and how she gifted him the bracelet. She recounted that memory to Adrien, as she had done with other memories in the past few days. “I feel that the “lucky charm” phrase had more weight than just silly handmade bracelets.”

He smiled, relieved, and kissed her temple. “We’ll get there, my love.”

* * *

The next day, the calendar provided Marinette with a picture of herself being carried over rooftops by a boy in a leather catsuit. She stared at it for several long minutes before finally asking, “Who is he?”

“The Parisian superhero named Chat Noir. He and his partner fight supervillains in our city,” Adrien looked in a distance with a somber expression. “And sometimes in other corners of the world.”

Marinette’s eyes widened, her heartbeat quickened. Adrenaline rushed through her body. She wanted to jump and run. But where and why? She took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on the image in an attempt to remember something. A feeling of safety and unconditional trust overcame her; she shuddered from its intensity. 

“I think I remember something like this,” Marinette started slowly, unsure. “I-I was feeling… secure? Like he could protect me from any danger in the world.” She blinked, refocusing at her husband, and noticed several tears rolling down his cheeks. “Hey, no need to be jealous! He’s just a superhero, right?”

Adrien laughed, wiping his cheeks, “No, he’s not just a superhero. Let’s say that he was your friend.”

“Friend?” Marinette spelled the word but it didn’t sit right. “Are you sure that it was only a friendship?”

Adrien smirked. “I hope that you’ll tell me more soon.”

* * *

For the next several days, Adrien was visibly enjoying the fierce blush spreading on Marinette’s cheeks whenever she stared at her pictures with Chat. She squeaked in embarrassment when he told her about the Weredad incident, then furrowed her brow.

“I feel like he was in love with me, why did he reject me then?”

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, it was a well-known fact that he was in love with Ladybug, his partner.”

“Spots on,” was out of Marinette’s mouth before she was able to realize what she wanted to say. Adrien’s jaw dropped. 

“Have you remembered something?” he asked anxiously.

Marinette clutched her head and started panting. “Give me some time,” she wheezed. “My head hurts, ah... “

* * *

Over that day and evening, Marinette remembered the Ladyblog and the fact that her best friend Alya (who had been also forgotten until her visit a week ago) was running it. Also, she was suddenly frightened by the sight of the butterflies flying around their small balcony garden but couldn’t explain why. 

The next day, Marinette fished out of the opened slot a picture of Ladybug holding Adrien by the waist; he was in his white fencing gear. She squinted and looked at her husband suspiciously. “Was she in love with you? And rejected Chat Noir because of you?”

Adrien laughed loudly. “My Lady, how quickly you solved this riddle.”

“M-my Lady?” she stammered; her heart beating wildly in her ribcage. “Have you always called me that? Honestly, it seems more like a Chat Noir and Ladybug thing.”

Her husband smirked. “He’s a huge flirt so I decided to take a page from his book to impress you.”

“From our previous conversations, I see that it didn’t help him much to catch his Lady Luck,” Marinette booped Adrien’s nose as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The man looked at his wife as if she had hung the moon and stars in the sky. “It helped me catch you,” he said, scooting closer and cupping her cheek tenderly. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

* * *

On December 22nd, Adrien woke up before dawn, feeling anxious. They spent 3 weeks slowly approaching the main part of his and Tikki’s plan. He couldn’t get rid of all his worries. What if she wouldn’t remember? What if she’d just fall into another shock state and wouldn’t recover from that mental trauma, ever?

“You’re overthinking,” Tikki spoke, as if she could read his mind. She flew up from his shoulder to his face. “Yes, me and Plagg have never tried it. But she has made a lot of progress in these last days, remembering even those details that you haven’t prompted.”

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, giving the kwami a small smile. “I hope that Plagg will execute his part perfectly.”

* * *

Marinette was staring at the two rings lying on the table in front of her. One was a rose gold ring, inlaid with one bigger round emerald and several smaller ones. Whilst the second one was a big, plain silver ring. 

“Do you remember them?” Adrien asked in a neutral tone, sitting on the chair next to her. 

She took both rings between her fingers and rubbed them thoughtfully. “The golden one looks like an engagement ring,” she voiced her guess. 

“Who gave it to whom?” Adrien prompted.

Marinette closed her eyes. “The energy from the silver ring is distracting. I can’t concentrate on the golden one. It’s… green? And chaotic, like… destruction?” Her eyes flew open, she gasped. “The engagement and the calendar! You never told me about the story of the calendar, why it’s so important. I feel like everything is connected here.”

“It is, but we’re still a few steps away,” Adrien nodded, putting his hand on hers. “May I ask you to wear those two rings for the next two days?” 

Marinette pursed her lips and nodded sharply. “Tell me,” she said in a moment, “is the silver one Chat Noir’s ring?”

“Yes,” Adrien breathed out, clearly relieved. “He gave it to me and asked you to keep it for some time.”

“But how would he be able to fight without it?” she asked in sheer confusion. “Isn’t it what gives him po...wer…” She slapped her hand over her mouth, muffling a shriek. “Is he okay? After that bat… Wait, let me think.” She pressed the hand with rings to her forehead. Adrien just sat there, waiting patiently, hoping that Plagg would manage to make some cracks in the mental barriers surrounding her memories. 

“It’s you. You gave me an engagement ring and you’re Chat Noir,” she stated, bringing him back to reality. “I knew it before the accident, didn’t I?” Adrien just nodded, afraid to interrupt the thought process. “But the battle… I haven’t remembered yet what was happening right before… Wait!” 

Marinette dropped her hands on her knees, looking hurt. “If you’re Chat Noir, then it means that you were in love with Ladybug? And me… Are you still in love with her?”

Adrien got up and came closer to hug his wife. “I love you,” he said, burying his face in her hair. “And I’d do anything for you. Don’t doubt it for a second. As for Ladybug,” he pulled back and gently lifted her head to look in his eyes, “we will talk about her very soon, I promise.”

* * *

“Okay, but why are you keeping this ten year old gift from Ladybug in our bedroom?” Marinette demanded, shaking the black wooden box in front of Adrien’s face. “And why is it so similar to my box?” She huffed in frustration, throwing the offending gift on the bed and plopping down next to it.

On December 23rd, Adrien was forced to spend most of the day out of the house, resolving some business problems. Meanwhile, Marinette, being restless after the previous discovery, had been secretly searching around the house for more clues. That’s how she had found Chat Noir’s advent calendar, still stuffed with clues to Ladybug’s identity. She had managed to look only through half of the slots before Adrien’s return.

“Have you opened your 23rd slot yet?” her husband asked instead of coming up with excuses.

“No.” She had really forgotten about it in the spur of the moment.

“Let me help you,” he rushed to her temporary room and came back with the red box. Quickly opening the small door, he pulled out of there three dried roses. “Open the 23rd one on mine,” he ordered. Marinette did, finding there the fragile pink rose petal. Adrien put the three roses on her lap. 

“See, these three roses I gave you as Chat Noir. Red, the sign of love, yellow - for friendship, pink - for admiration. Only one of them was given to Marinette, the pink one.”

“I don’t follow.”

“This,” Adrien tapped lightly on the black box, “was Ladybug’s way to lead me to her identity. Why do you think she put a pink petal in the penultimate slot?”

“Pink rose for Marinette, pink petal from Ladybug.” Tears started gathering in the corners of her eyes. “Are we that similar? Or are we… We… Me…?”

She was openly crying now. The sight broke Adrien’s heart. He knew that he should’ve been patient but the resolution was so close that he couldn’t wait any longer. 

“The answer is in the 24th slot. Both my box and yours.” He barely finished the sentence before she was hastily opening both doors. Behind the black one was a small paper. She reached in and picked it out. She read the three words written on it; a sob escaped her lips. “Me… But why, Chaton? Why did I forget everything? Where are my powers gone?”

Adrien reached out to the red box and took the pair of earrings out of there. “Here they are,” he placed them on her palm. “These magical creations that give us powers will try to help you. You just need to put the ring and earrings on and summon them.”

Marinette did as she was told, and Plagg and Tikki appeared in front of her in two bursts of light. 

“Shall we start?” Adrien asked.

* * *

Marinette opened her eyes to see the familiar furniture of her bedroom. Concerned kwamis hovered close; her husband, face pale, was sitting next to her and holding her hand.

She knew their names. She knew what had just happened, and more than that - what had happened a month before, years before. Now she remembered everything.

“I-I remember,” she whispered. Huge smile spread on her face; tears threatened to spill again. 

Plagg and Tikki whooped with joy as they did somersaults around her head. Adrien crushed her into a bear hug, sobbing into her shoulder.

“We got this, we got you back. I love you, I love you, I love you, don’t you dare scare me like that again.” he weeped, voice muffled.

“Well, Chaton, it seems like your patience and faith were rewarded today,” she tried to joke, stroking his hair tenderly to calm him down. “We got our Christmas miracle again.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you’re writing/reading fanfiction or drawing MLB fanart and looking for friendly and supportive community, you can [join us today](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) on **Miraculous Fanworks Discord server**!


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